"Everyone rest assured, I won't force you to move out since you've already paid rent. I just wanted to give you a heads-up. If anyone finds a suitable place and wants to move out early during this period, I'll waive the rent for less than a month."
Upon hearing her words, the others had nothing more to say.
After finishing what she had to say and seeing no objections from everyone, Chen Lishu and Gu Xingdong left.
Not long after, Zhu Shasha and Gao Mingyuan's sentences were handed down. Gao Mingyuan was sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes including child trafficking, kidnapping for ransom, evasion, and intentional homicide, with the sentence being a combination of offenses due to the severity of his actions.
Despite the lawyers' strenuous efforts to defend her, due to the geographical disadvantage in the capital and pressure from the He family, Zhu Shasha was ultimately sentenced to twenty years of imprisonment. Her nature was malicious, and the punishment was severe.
He Ziyu used his connections to transfer both of them to a place with the most arduous conditions, ensuring their remaining lives would be spent in perpetual darkness.
Due to their respective jobs and concern for the two little ones at home, after staying in the capital for two days, they all returned to the provincial capital together.
Upon disembarking the train, He Ziyu mentioned he needed to return to school first. After they parted ways, Chen Lishu and Gu Xingdong, along with Rui Rui, took a car home.
The weather was nice. Xiao Cheng and Xiao Bai, accompanied by their grandmother Li Xiulan and Zhao Qiuyue, were playing in the courtyard. Xiao Cheng, with his chubby fingers, pointed at the birds on the tree, babbling incessantly.
Seeing the two children, Chen Lishu couldn't wait and quickened her steps, reaching out her hands and saying, "Xiao Cheng, Xiao Bai, Mommy's back. Give Mommy hugs."
The two children turned their heads upon hearing her voice. They didn't greet her with the enthusiasm Chen Lishu expected. Instead, they seemed frozen, staring at her expressionlessly.
Just as Chen Lishu began to suspect the children didn't recognize her after being away for too long, Xiao Cheng, in Li Xiulan's arms, suddenly whimpered and started crying loudly.
Seeing her elder brother cry, Xiao Bai quickly joined in.
Unlike Xiao Cheng's wailing, she sobbed, her lips quivering, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably. Her wronged expression made her look as if she had been abandoned by the entire world.
Chen Lishu felt a pang of heartache and quickly scooped both children into her arms, gently comforting them, "There, there, Mommy's back. Don't cry, don't cry."
Li Xiulan said, "The night you left, the two children started acting up. Xiao Cheng kept pointing outside. Although they couldn't speak, they understood. Usually, they could be distracted, but this time three of them left at once."
Gu Xingdong and Rui Rui also came over to comfort the two little ones.
Rui Rui, in particular, seeing his younger siblings cry, became extremely anxious. He kept comforting them, saying, "Don't cry, don't cry."
In their mother's arms, the two little ones' emotions gradually calmed down. Looking at their father and elder brother whom they hadn't seen for days, they started to babble, their small mouths, which only had two corn kernel-like teeth, opening and closing.
The family returned to the house, and Chen Lishu gave Li Xiulan a general account of their trip to Kyoto.
Upon hearing this, Li Xiulan couldn't help but sigh with emotion, "It's truly remarkable that the elder Mr. and Mrs. He could do this. Moreover, the children have already been through enough. Alas, it's all the adults' doing."
In the afternoon, Gu Xingdong went to the company. The company's projects had been proceeding in an orderly fashion during his absence.
Gu Xingye briefed Gu Xingdong on everything that had happened during that period.
The person in charge of the Jiangpan Garden project had changed due to Zhu Shasha's incident, but the project was nearing completion, so there wasn't a significant impact.
Workers had already begun excavating the site for the Western City planning project.
After dealing with the backlog of work, Gu Xingdong returned home.
"I've saved up some money now and want to buy a piece of land to build a factory. What do you think?" After coaxing the two children to sleep, Chen Lishu shared her idea with Gu Xingdong.
Gu Xingdong pondered for a moment and said, "From what I know, land can only be transferred now, not bought or sold. Also, policies are changing quite a bit. If there are any changes later, we might be caught off guard."
Chen Lishu replied, "Actually, if you calculate it, the final outcome of transfer and sale isn't much different. Besides, buying now allows us to find the best geographical location, and the price will definitely be more favorable. Look at how wages are increasing year after year; prices are bound to follow. Acquiring property now is the most cost-effective."
According to Chen Lishu's understanding, land auctions wouldn't be implemented until the late 1980s.
However, the entire 1980s were a golden age of rapid development for all industries. If she waited until then to act, it would be more of a loss than a gain.
Gu Xingdong said, "Setting up a factory isn't an easy task. From site selection to construction, and later equipment, raw materials, and personnel management, it requires a considerable amount of effort. Are you really prepared?"
Chen Lishu wrapped her arms around his neck and looked into his eyes, which were like cold stars, smiling as she said, "But I have such an excellent and capable husband. If it doesn't work out in the end, I'll just have to rely on you to support me."
Facing her fragrant breath, Gu Xingdong feigned composure and said, "It depends."
Chen Lishu pouted and sighed, "Alas, after giving birth to your children, I end up having to depend on your mood. Forget it, I'd better hurry up and find someone willing to dedicate themselves to me, and find a stepfather for the children."
Before she could finish her sentence, her arm, which was about to be pulled away, was firmly grasped. A voice, almost gritted through his teeth, echoed in her ear, "Discard that idea as soon as possible. You are, and always will be, Gu Xingdong's person, in life and in death."
"Hey, are you a dog?"
"You scoundrel, I think you're the one who's a dog!"
"Wuwu..."
The next day, when Chen Lishu got up, Gu Xingdong was already downstairs playing with the children, while Li Xiulan and Zhao Qiuyue were making breakfast.
Upon seeing her come down, Xiao Cheng, who had been happily drooling in his father's arms, immediately switched allegiance, holding out his tiny hands towards Chen Lishu for a hug.
Chen Lishu reached out and took him into her arms.
Beside them, Xiao Bai saw that Gu Xingdong's arms were empty, so she immediately tugged on his sleeve and climbed into his embrace, then grinned and made "ah ah" sounds, signaling Gu Xingdong to lift her high.
"I'll take Rui Rui to school after breakfast. It's on the way to the shop," Chen Lishu said during the meal.
In the past, her every step had been propelled by the advantage of 'foresight,' but at most, she could only open a few more stores, ensuring they had enough to eat and wear, and that was all.
To become bigger and stronger, from now on, she would have to explore and figure it out on her own.
This was akin to a high-stakes gamble. If successful, she might become an excellent entrepreneur; if not...
Looking at the chiseled profile beside her, she suddenly recalled the words he had whispered in her ear before they slept last night, and felt a sense of peace.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here. We have the capital to lose, so it doesn't matter if we try a few more times."
...